Do this and ride a bike in the meantime.

...because everyone is biking distance from everything they need? No.

Bike and/or taking a bus/subway.

Or uber if you don't live in a city

I assume you mean if you DO live in a city. Uber is pretty cheap compared to taxis, but using it twice a day still adds up to a decent chuck of money.

Depending on where op lives, biking or public transport may not be an option. Idk where in Illinois op is, but in a lot of az everything is really spread out and there isn't any good public transport available.

I think finding s better job is OP's point, which is why he was getting certified.

I think wages in other countries are terrible! My base rate is $26 / hr and sundays is $40... and I have had no formal training other than on the job. How people survive on $13 / hr is beyond me. My 13yr old is on $11 / hr

Your tellin is we know our wages suck

The internet tells me the tax rate in Australia for 37,000 income is about 10%, then something like 33% on every dollar over 37,001 (until the next bracket) America's something like 17%, then 25% on anything over 37500 is relatively comparable, depending on where you fall in that bracket. You'd have to hit a sweet spot in the American bracket to pay less taxes. This is interesting, as someone who thought, for apparently no reason, that Australian taxes were higher. (Of course, this math is all back of the envelope)

Public transportation is not always viable. In a lot of cities it's only truly helpful if your going downtown.

His cat nip addiction got out of hand.

Yes.....it does mean you afford it. That's like saying I'm buying something that costs $20 and I only have $20 in my pocket, does that mean I shouldn't buy it because I'll no longer have money in my pocket? Not being able afford something means you don't have enough money to buy it in the first place.

Maybe my understanding of being able to afford something is different. If I have enough money in my savings to buy a car, but after buying said car I would have no money left, I would say I can't afford the car. If I buy it I will have no money for my necessities or rent etc. So this is why I would say I cannot afford it due to the ramifications that buying it would cause.

Basically, I think it's about credit score/rating. If you have a good score/rating it means you are reliable and handle finances well.

There are many certifications to get in different fields of study. It's kinda similar to a degree, but you don't go to actual classes or anything. You pay to take a test in a specific area (for example, computer applications) and if you pass, you are certified. The certifications show that you know what you're doing enough to pass a test on the subject and are often required for higher-level jobs in certain fields. It's common in the tech industry as well as others (my boyfriend is in the tech industry and is working on his first certification test to get a promotion)